Fishing News index > February 2008

Fish and Game News February 2008

Lake Coleridge Salmon
Staff released 3,500 salmon into Lake Coleridge which were originally being grown for the Groynes. These were released to make room to grow the rainbow trout which proved to grow faster than the salmon at Montrose.

Game Bird Trend Counts
The annual Paradise shelduck and Black swan trend count has been undertaken in early February. The numbers of parries are down on previous counts while swan population is similar to the last year numbers.

Fish Rescue
Staff and volunteers have carried out a number of salvage operations in the mid-lower Ashley River as it has dried up in the last two months and relocated 500 hundred mostly adult and 2 year old trout to permanent water upstream.

Salmon By-catch
Although salmon by-catch monitoring programme began in December no fishing vessels operated in the Salmon Conservation Area (SCA). One potential trip to the area was monitored by Ron Docherty with a by-catch of one salmon. The vessel operated outside of the SCA.

Salmon Releases
Around 35,000 of the salmon fry were killed accidentally just before Christmas when a board was not put back in the head of one of the raceways causing the other race to receive all the water flow. The Rangitata hatchery has offered to replace these from the excess stock of 120,000 fry they received from Montrose hatchery originally. The NIWA Silverstream hatchery also gave an additional 8,000 to supplement this loss.

Staff and Councillor Russ visited Tentburn, Isaacs, Silverstream hatcheries and Fulton Hogan with a Christmas shout for the help they have given us over the last year.

Trout Releases
Staff have transferred the rainbow trout from Montrose to the high country lakes as per the stocking program schedule. These trout weighed an average of 50 grams each. Around 1,000 have been held back to release into the Groynes next season.

Canada Goose Management
Ross Millichamp attended a meeting of F&G Managers with DoC to continue F&G input into the review of the status of Canada Geese as a game bird.  A summary of crop predation complaints received since 2000 has been compiled and sent to DoC representative to demonstrate the actual rate of landowner concern in recent years.

Staff, Rangers and volunteers conducted a moult cull on the Estuary before Christmas and 630 geese were culled. A large number of geese on the oxidation ponds which were unable to be rounded up and significant number of birds still flying resulted in limited success of this control operation. Due to the unfavourable tides, planned second attempt at the Estuary geese population have been abandoned.

The Lake Ellesmere control operation resulted in 4300 geese culled and staff expects that this action will bring the number of geese at the lake close to the numbers prescribed by the Canada Goose Management Plan at June 2008 trend count. Following the concerns about the disposal of such a high number of birds close to the lake shoreline, another burial site was selected higher up on the dry land, in consultations with Environment Canterbury Compliance and Enforcement staff, to mitigate any possible leaching in the groundwater system or the lake itself.

The Bromley Farm hunting resumed on 1 February 2008. Teams of two team leaders and up to four hunters will be hunting at the farm till the end of April 2008. Hunters who will have the opportunity to take part in these hunts were balloted from our Control Hunter Database. First reconnaissance hunt was organised on 4 February and 167 birds were bagged. 

Resource Consents

Central Plains Water/Ashburton Community Water Trust
The hearing details have been confirmed, although they are still subject to the possibility of change if CPW or ACWT seek an adjournment. The hearing will commence on 25 February 2008. CPW/ACWT will be heard first, followed by supporting submissions. There will be an adjournment of 3-5 weeks following the completion of this part of the hearing. The case for the opposition will then begin in late April, with institutions and groups going first, followed by individual submitters.

A special note to any Anglers who lodged individual submissions. The Hearing Commissioners asked Environment Canterbury to work with submitters to minimise repetition. Consequently submitters have been asked to group themselves according to the topics raised in their submissions. A number of topics have been suggested, including “recreational effects from river takes” and “ecological effects from river takes”. Donald Fraser at ECan (donald.fraser@ecan.govt.nz) is managing this process. Fish & Game suggests individual submitters should contact Mr Fraser to register their interest. Submitters should also discuss with Mr Fraser any concerns they may have about this process (e.g. if submitters are concerned about being subsumed under a group submission). Please note this process is being run by Environment Canterbury and Fish & Game have no involvement in it whatsoever.

Malvern Stockwater Scheme
Councillors will recall late in 2007 Jason appeared at the hearing for this scheme, which is fed by water from the Kowai River, Waimakariri River and Selwyn River. In January a decision was made to grant consent for 20 years. The decision (which may be appealed by submitters or the Selwyn District Council) requires all intakes to have fish screens installed within 2 years. It also requires a comprehensive review of the scheme to ascertain (among other things) what may be done to improve efficiencies and reduce abstraction from the Kowai River.

Electricity Ashburton
In January Jason appeared at a hearing of applications that would enable an off-river hydro scheme to operate using the previously consented 17 cumecs Barrhill Chertsey take from the Happy Valley area. It is likely future applications will be lodged to enable irrigation as well. Of greatest concern to Fish & Game was the proposal to discharge an additional 17 cumecs of water from the Highbank tailrace. As this discharge would occur throughout the critical migration period for adult salmon, it is likely to substantially increase the numbers of salmon attracted into the tailrace. A decision is not expected for some time, as the applicant has been granted an adjournment to consult further with submitters and reporting officers.

Lowland Stream Advocacy
Davor attended a meeting of the Selwyn Water Allocation Group where an update was provided for a number of scientific projects related to the Selwyn River and lowland streams in the lake Ellesmere catchment.

Boggy Creek
In January willows along Boggy Creek were poisoned to prepare for an upcoming native planting project. In February gorse and sapling willows across the property were sprayed. 

Discussions with neighbours about boundary fencing are ongoing. Fencing must be improved to a sheep-proof standard to address problems experienced with sheep escaping last summer. This is necessary if sheep are to be grazed in future to control rank grass growth. Staff are hopeful this work will be completed prior to the next grazing season (September 2008 – April 2009).

Angler & Hunter Competitions
Staff have organised the Great North Canterbury Canada Goose Shooting Competition and the North Canterbury Gameshooters Club have offered to help with posting this out to all our licence holders. The competition and prize list will also to be advertised in the Fish & Game magazine. The prize giving will be held at the Waihora Clay Target Club on Sunday, 25th May 2008. 

Club Relations
Staff and Councillors met with the North Canterbury Gameshooters Club to discuss issues around management of Canada Goose population in our region.

Angler & Hunter Relations
Staff are compiling weekly fishing reports for Newstalk ZB which are played on Friday afternoons. They are also emailed to licence holders.

Statutory Liaison
Ross Millichamp gave a presentation to the new Environment Canterbury Council on F&G issues, and a summary of what Environment Canterbury are doing well and doing poorly from our perspective.

Ross Millichamp attended a meeting at the Hurunui District Council at which access to a sensitive reach of the upper Waipara was discussed.  Landowners are concerned at the damage being done by 4WD’s and are hoping to restrict vehicle access to formed tracks, and to provide walking tracks for riverbed access.  Further meetings will be held to advance the issue.

Media Liaison
In January Jason featured in an article in The Press about low-flow conditions in Canterbury rivers. Davor gave an interview about the state of the Lake Ellesmere and lowland streams for the local newspaper.

Public Liaison 
Davor accompanied DoC staff at the tour of the local wetlands and took part in the celebration of the World Wetlands Day. A group of local children and their parents were introduced to the Lake Ellesmere and lowland streams in the region.

Year of the Salmon
Councillor Garry Ottmann has helped to arrange the “Hunger for the Wild” TV program to do a story on salmon.  Ross Millichamp has provided advice to the producers, taken them on a pre-shoot site visit and is to help with the actual shoot on the Rakaia.

Annual General Meeting
The AGM was held on 5 December 2007.  Thirty-three Councillors, staff, honorary rangers and members of the public attended.  A copies of the minutes are available from the office.

Salmon Management Plan
Ross Millichamp and Mark Webb (CSI F&G) have met and reviewed the oral submissions and are re-writing the final draft for circulation back to the sub-committee.  Although some of the input from individual submitters is difficult to include in the plan without re-consulting with stakeholders, most of the input from the Department of Conservation and Hydroelectric companies can be addressed while retaining the plan goals. 

Regional Liaison
Steve met with hatchery managers from other F&G regions in Rotorua to exchange ideas and expertise.

Staff transferred 2,500 rainbow yearlings to the Lake Camp in the Ashburton Lakes area. These were offered to the Central South Island region as they were surplus to the North Canterbury region’s stocking program. 

Jet Boat Replacement
A contract has been signed with Arco Marine for the purchase of a new jet boat which is due to be delivered in March.  The old jet boat is having a second hand motor installed after which it will be sold by tender.

Trout Health Study
Staff have received a number of trout heads following the request for help from region’s anglers advertised on our website and mailing list.  Significant numbers of samples were gathered from the Rakaia, Hurunui and Selwyn rivers.  Only very few samples were received from the Waimakariri River.

February 2008
Fish & Game Staff

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